Comparative functional analysis of the various lentivirus long terminal repeats in human colon carcinoma cell line (SW480 cells) and feline renal cell line (CRFK cells).

Basal promoter activities of various lentiviral long terminal repeats (LTRs) in a human colon carcinoma cell line (SW480 cells) and a feline renal cell line (CRFK cells) were examined by the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assay using the LTR-CAT reporter plasmids. In SW480 cells, the basal promoter activities induced by LTRs of visna virus, caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV), and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVAGM) were moderate, and those induced by LTRs of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV type 2 (HIV-2) were low. However, the activity induced by the LTR of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was extremely low. In CRFK cells, the basal promoter activities induced by LTRs of visna virus, CAEV and SIVAGM were relatively high, and those induced by LTRs of HIV-1, HIV-2 and FIV were moderate. From these data, although the structure of the LTR of FIV is reported to be similar to that of visna virus and CAEV, the function of the LTR of FIV is rather quite different from that of the LTR of these viruses.